1 Corinthians 1

1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those who have been consecrated by union with Christ Jesus and called to become his people, and also to all, wherever they may be, who invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ – their Master and ours,

2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

from Paul, who has been called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our fellow follower of the Lord.

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

4 I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.

I always thank God for you. I thank him for the blessing bestowed on you in Christ Jesus.

5 For in Him you have been enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge,

For through union with him you were enriched in every way – in your power to preach, and in your knowledge of the truth;

6 because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

and so became yourselves a confirmation of my testimony to the Christ.

7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no gift in which you are deficient, while waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

8 He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And God himself will strengthen you to the end, so that at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ you may be found blameless.

9 God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

God will not fail you, and it is he who called you into communion with his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.

But I appeal to you, my friends, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree in what you profess, and not to allow divisions to exist among you, but to be united – of one mind and of one opinion.

11 My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.

For I have been informed, my friends, by the members of Chloe’s household, that party feeling exists among you.

12 What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

I mean this: that every one of you says either “I follow Paul,” or “I Apollos,” or “I Cephas,” or “I Christ.”

13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

You have torn the Christ in pieces! Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

14 I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,

15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name.

so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

16 Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I baptized anyone else.

I baptized also the household of Stephanas. I do not know that I baptized anyone else.

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

My mission from Christ was not to baptize, but to tell the good news; not, however, in the language of philosophy, in case the cross of the Christ should be robbed of its meaning.

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The message of the cross is indeed mere folly to those who are on the path to ruin, but to us who are on the path of salvation it is the power of God.

19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

For scripture says – “I will bring the philosophy of the philosophers to naught, and the shrewdness of the shrewd I will bring to nothing.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? (aiōn g165)

Where is the philosopher? Where the teacher of the Law? Where the disputant of today? Has not God shown the world’s philosophy to be folly? (aiōn g165)

21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

For since the world, in God’s wisdom, did not by its philosophy learn to know God, God saw fit, by the “folly” of our proclamation, to save those who believe in Christ!

22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,

While Jews ask for miraculous signs, and Greeks study philosophy,

23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

we are proclaiming Christ crucified! – to the Jews an obstacle, to the Gentiles mere folly,

24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

but to those who have received the call, whether Jews or Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God!

25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

For God’s “folly” is wiser than people, and God’s “weakness” is stronger than people.

26 Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.

Look at the facts of your call, friends. There are not many among you who are wise, as people reckon wisdom, not many who are influential, not many who are high-born;

27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

but God chose what the world counts foolish to put its wise to shame, and God chose what the world counts weak to put its strong to shame,

28 He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,

and God chose what the world counts poor and insignificant – things that to it are unreal – to bring its “realities” to nothing,

29 so that no one may boast in His presence.

so that in his presence no one should boast.

30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

But you, by your union with Christ Jesus, belong to God; and Christ, by God’s will, became not only our wisdom, but also our righteousness, holiness, and deliverance,

31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

so that – in the words of scripture – “Whoever boasts should boast of the Lord!”